Ancient architectural design interpretation: a framework based on Alexandrian manuals

Abstract

The study of ancient architecture is a wide field that allows the contribution of various disciplines. One of the key issues is the archaeological aspect, which mainly consists of reconstructing the history of the events affecting a particular building and its changes over time. The discipline focusing on design analysis, which starts from the measurement of a building, has a twofold purpose: the definition of the patron’s requirements and objectives, and the solution provided by the ancient professional through the application of specific operational protocols, typical of his time. In this paper we intend to analyse a series of sequential steps based on both graphs and calculations from the technical manuals of the Alexandrian area (1^st century AD). Although neglected for a long time and lacking recent critical editions, they can be effectively integrated into the operational flow of various scholars studying ancient architecture from the perspective of measurement. Through some case studies from the Roman imperial period, documented with state-of-the-art devices, authors intend to illustrate the results of this approach integrating new measurement technologies, reverse modelling methods and verification of the results in the light of the texts of Heron of Alexandria focusing on construction.